Grading Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff: the 2008 draft class

It seems like ages ago, but when Thomas Dimitroff first came to Atlanta, few people knew what to expect. His first thumbprint on the team would begin with this draft class, and it also happens to be on the best he’s had with the team. It’s not often you find a franchise quarterback and a quality starting middle linebacker back-to-back.

For more information about our grading system, you can read our introductory article here: Overview of grading Thomas Dimitroff as GM.

Falcons 2008 Draft Class

Seahawks 2008 Draft Class

Browns 2008 Draft Class

Giants 2008 Draft Class

Quick Thoughts

Matt Ryan (5): Multiple pro-bowls, setting multiple Falcons records, consistently a top-10 or top-12 QB. This score is a no-brainer.

Thomas Decoud (4) and Kroy Biermann (4): Considering their draft positions, the Falcons got two starters out of Decoud and Biermann, and even a pro-bowl season out of the former. This is not a bad return on investment at all.

Sam Baker (1): Injuries piled up, and despite a decent 2012 season, Baker never lived up to the billing of being a franchise blindside tackle.

Curtis Lofton (4): Though he wouldn’t remain with the team after his rookie contract, he was a quality starter for his time in Atlanta.

Final Tally

Falcons (Total - 29, Average - 2.6): The total puts the Falcons class well above average (21) and that seems to be a reasonable conclusion. The team got 4 starters and a WR3 out of this class, with quite a few of these guys lasting for 4 or more years. This was a quality draft class for Dimitroff.

Seahawks (Total - 20, Average - 2.85): The total makes this Seahawks class about average bolstered by Bryant and Forsett. The disappointment of Jackson made this a hard class to really be excited about.

Browns (Total - 14, Average - 2.8): This was a pretty bad draft class for the Browns, and really emphasizes why it’s important to have a full selection of picks. Not having any picks in the first three rounds made this a harsh class to live with.

Giants (Total - 17, Average - 2.42): This was the very definition of an average class. No real high-level starters came out of this class, but plenty of “contributors.” Not a class to brag about nor hang your head over.